Rudy Gobert is back in the crosshairs of the NBA league offices. Gobert was fined $75,000 after making a money gesture with his hands during the fourth quarter of Game 4 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves.
The fine was levied by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA, who said in a statement that Gobert displayed an "inappropriate and unprofessional gesture that questions the integrity of the league and its game officials. The fine takes into account Gobert's history of improper conduct toward game officials."
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) May 13, 2024
Gobert was fined for two previous instances of criticizing the referees and suggesting that they were influencing the outcome of games. Last season, Gobert was fined $25,000 for saying referees were trying to help opponents win.
"It's hard for me to think they didn't try to help the Warriors win the other night or the Sacramento Kings the other night. It's just so obvious," Gobert told reporters in March of 2023.
This past March, Gobert went a step further with his frustrations after once again making a money gesture with his hands during a game. In his postgame comments, Gobert told reporters that his reaction, while immature, was true to his feelings about the referees having outside motivations.
"Referees make mistakes, too. Sometimes I think it's more than mistakes. And I'm gonna stay at that. I think everyone that's in this league knows. And I think it's got to get better. I'll bite the bullet again. I'll be the bad guy again that speaks what I think is the truth. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger — but it shouldn't feel that way … Just let the players decide the game."
Gobert was fined $100,000 dollars for those comments, which brings the total amount of fines for criticizing officials over the past 14 months to $200,000. That's a hefty price to pay for rubbing your hands together.
